Change-speed lever for automobiles.



' PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907 c. w. BERRY. CHANGE SPEED LEVER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1907.

I'll/IIIIIIII/I/I/I,

THE nomus PETERS co, WASHINGTON, n c.

UNITED STATES CHARLES W. BERRY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

CHANGE-SPEED LEVER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed January 2, 1907. Serial No. 350,342.

thumb latch on the handle of the lever as the lever is thrown back and forth to increase or decrease the speed. In starting the car the pawl is lifted from the neutral notch and the lever should be moved forward into the first speed notch and thence into the second speed notch, one notch at a time, until the desired speed has been obtained. It often happens however that the lever is moved forward too quickly so that it immediately jumps from neutral into high speed without stopping in the intermediate notches.

One object of my invention is to insure the gradual application of the speed by causing the lever to stop at each notch as the speed is raised.

Another difficulty in handling motor cars with this type of lever, is, that when the lever is returned to the neutral position from the high speed, the operator does not always stop at the neutral notch but sometimes gets back into the reverse position causing the car to back. It sometimes happens also that the lever when resting in its neutral position with the engine running is accidentally hit and knocked back into the reverse position or it may be left accidentally in the first forward position in place of the neutral before the engine starts and when the engine starts the car suddenly jumps ahead. These are all sources of danger in handling motor cars and the object of my invention is to so construct the lever mechanism that when the lever is pulled back into its neutral position it will meet a positive step which it cannot pass to get into the reverse position without the manipulation of a special thumb lever on the main lever.

I accomplish these objects by means of the mechanism hereinafter set forth and claimed.

I illustrate my invention by means of the accompanying drawing in Which is shown a change speed lever constructed according to my invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation,- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line at a; of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line .2 z of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 1.

In the drawing A represents the change speed lever, B the notched segment and G the pawl which is lifted by the rod 0 and thumb lever (Z, these parts being of ordinary and well known construction.

In order to secure an automatic step by step forward motion of the lover, I provide auxiliary means for lifting the pawl C out of engagement with the notches of the segment of which notches 1) represents the neutral notch, b the first speed, I) the second, b the third, I)

the high speed. The means here shown are a U-shaped yoke or lifter e as I shall term it, which embraces the segment and has its upper ends normally in contact with the lower end of the pawl so that when it is lifted to its upper position, the pawl is lifted out of its notch. This lifter is in pivotal connection with the lever and means are provided to trip it tolet the pawl fall between the notches. As here shown the lifter is pivoted at its lower end to one end of a horizontal link f, the other end of the link being pivoted to the lever A. One of these links is disposed on each side of the lever so that the pair of links embrace the lower end of the lifter.

A spring 6 attached to the projection c pulls the lifter a normally downward and stops f are provided to limit the downward motion of the links. The links and the lifter are raised as here shown by a pair of connecting rods 9 pivoted at f and operated by the thumb lever g conveniently located on the handle of the main lever. As here shown, the lever g which operates the liiter is located in rear of the main handle a and the pawl lever proper, d is shortened and located in front of the main handle. For the purpose of tripping the lifter and releasing the pawl in passing from one notch to the other, I place a series of pins b between the notches, so placed that'they will trip the lifter and allow the pawl to engage the adjacent notch.

Means are provided for stopping the lever when it is pulled back to the neutral position so that it will not go back to the reverse position. For this purpose, I provide a stop on the segment and a stop on the lever so located as to impinge when the lever reaches the neutral position, one of said stops being vertically movable with relation to the other and being controlled by the same thumb lever which controls the lifter. As here shown, a stop or projection b is formed by a pin which passes through the segment (Fig. 2) and a projection f on the inner face the link f in front of the lever is so located that it will strike said pin when the lever is at neutral but when the link and the lifter are raised the projection f will pass over the pin and let the lever go to the reverse position.

From what has been said the operation of my device will be plain. In starting ahead the thumb lever g is pushed toward the handle and the pawl thus lifted by the lifter. As the lever moves over, the lifter strikes one of the pins b and is knocked out from beneath the pawl, allowing the latter to drop into the next notch. Thus the speed is raised one notch at a time by pressing the lever g at each movement. In returning to neutral position to stop the car, the lever d is pressed, liiting the pawl completely out of its notch and allowing the lever to be moved directly back to neutral. When neutral is reached, the two stops b and f come together and stop the lever. When the car is reversed, the lever g is pressed, lifting the projection f so that it passes by the stop I). If it is desired in starting to go at once to high speed the lever g is not worked but lever d is used. It will thus be seen that by the use of my lever some of the causes of accident are eliminated and the car is placed under more perfect control.

It is evidently immaterial whether the notches on the segment are on the upper or under edge and it is evident that numerous modifications can be made in my construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is evident that the stops instead of moving vertically to permit passing, may be moved in any direction laterally with respect to their normal motion.

1 claim;

1. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars of an auxiliary lifter for disengaging the pawl, an operating handle for actuating said litter and means for tripping said lifter between the notches.

2. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars, of an auxiliary lifter for engaging said pawl, pivotally connected with the lever, an operating handle for actuating said litter and projections on the segment for tripping said lifter between the notches.

3. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars, of an auxiliary lifter for disengaging said pawl, a link pivoted by one end to said litter and by the other end to the lever, an operating handle for actuating said litter and means for tripping said lifter between the notches.

4. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars of an auxiliary U- shaped litter, the upper ends of which normally impinge on the pawl, a link pivoted by one end to said litter and by the other end to the lever, a connecting rod and operating handle for raising said lifter to disengage the pawl and projections 'for tripping said lifter between the notches.

5. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars, of an auxiliary U- shaped litter, the upper end of which normally impinges on the pawl, a link pivoted by one end to said litter and by the other end to the lever, a spring for forcing said lifter normally downward, a connecting rod and handle for raising said lifter to disengage the pawl and projections for tripping said lifter between the notches.

6. The combination with a change gear lever, segment and pawl for motor cars of .a stop on the lever and a stop on the segment adapted to impinge and prevent the lever from going into its reverse position from its neutral posi tion, one of said stops being laterally movable to let the other stop pass and a handle to actuate the laterally movable stop.

7. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars, of a lifter for disengag ing the pawl carried by the lever, an operating handle for raising said lifter, a stationary stop on the segment and a stop connected to the lifter adapted to normally impinge on said stationary stop but to pass by it when said lifter is raised.

8. The combination with a change gear lever, notched segment and pawl for motor cars, of an auxiliary U- shaped litter, the upper ends of which normally impinge on the pawl, a link pivoted by one end to said litter and by the other end to the lever, a spring for forcing said lifter normally downward, a connecting rod and handle for raising said lifter to disengage the pawl and projections for tripping said lifter between the notches, a stationary stop on the segment and a stop or projection on said link adapted to strike said stationary projection when in its lower position but to pass by it when raised.

Signed by me at Portland, Me. this 31st day of December, 1006.

CHARLES W. BERRY. 

